FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

Forensic Anthropology in Death Investigations

[Institution Name]

Forensic Anthropology in Death Investigations

Introduction

Forensic Anthropology in today's world has developed differently in response to specific criteria of each country. Forensic anthropology is specially used in terms of historical considerations relating the focus of forensic investigations. Crime investigations and specifically speaking of death investigation, forensic sciences have made its way in defining the significance of forensic anthropology.

In this paper, we will discuss the role of forensics in death investigations. The basic learning regarding death investigations cover establishment of time of death, the cause and manner of death, and identifying a decomposed body during our discussion.

Forensic Anthropology

In some countries, particularly in the United States and under its influence in most of the Latin American countries, forensic anthropology has developed from the concept of "forensic science" as a sub-discipline of physical anthropology applied to the resolution criminal cases. It is practiced by anthropologists specializing in physical anthropology, or bioantro-anthropologists, trained in the forensic field.

Forensic anthropology has emerged as a distinctive field that is supporting the criminal investigation in the new age. It has appeared as wide filed of biological studies that are assisting the law enforcers in their almost impossible task of investigation.

The term forensic anthropology necessarily involves three specialties: archeology, physical anthropology and cultural anthropology. The first is to recover the cultural behavior of the past and forensic approach is to rebuild and recover criminal behavior associated evidences in context to reconstruct the final events of the facts of the alleged crime.

Forensic research and techniques are applied to the goal of providing data for the identification of human remains such as sex, age, ancestry or height making up the set of data that forming the biological profile of an individual. This phenomenon helps the investigators to take up vital leads in their findings and reaching a final position and the judgment.

Role of Forensics in Death Investigation

Since the early twentieth century, scientific literature has focused its attention on the area of forensic sciences that has begun to be perceived an important domain related to investigations for complex criminal occurrences. Whenever a suspicious death occurs, a forensic entomologist is asked to play his part in investigating the crime scene (Amend et al., 2007). The major role in accumulating the evidence and proofs for criminal trials is played by the crime-scene investigations. However, the forensic scientists must examine and study the evidences and proofs in order to assist the jury in determining a person's innocence or guilt. Although the forensic science has developed to a significant extent, yet measures should be taken to further increase their strength. However, the consistency and trustworthiness of employment of forensic sciences are proved in the courts.

Some authors like Stanley Rhine (2010) reflected the importance of microscopic analysis of bone age estimation and the time of death. These two elements are central to the resolution of any case of death in a judicial context and are indisputable objectives of any autopsy forensic (as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Act) regardless of the condition where ...